Rise of Dragons Redux
by Naomi Shihoin
Summary: What if Ash started out with a different Pokémon than Pikachu and his dream was to become the world's greatest Pokémon Master specializing in a single type of Pokémon? Ash x Clair pairing.
1. The Legendaries Meet

Rise of Dragons

Disclaimer: I don't own the rights to Pokémon or any of the characters used in this publication.

A/N: This story was written in response to MathiasNightlord01's challenge "Ash's Different Starter Challenge". See the information on his profile for more details.

I will also being using Gen 6 Pokémon and Gen 6 Pokédex entries in this fic.

Credit goes to Shinedown I'll Follow You 18 for the use of the Hall of Origins scene as my prologue.

Requirements for the challenge are:

1. Ash is smarter and more knowledgeable about the Pokémon world and Pokémon training before setting out on his journey.

2. Ash must be male. No gender-bending or yaoi themes allowed.

3. Since Ash is smarter in the story, his Pokémon won't disobey his orders like Charizard did in canon.

4. Ash must age and grow in this story.

5. The clothes he wears to Unova are banned (because I don't like his Unova appearance).

6. Capture more Pokémon than he does in canon and rotates them out to train all of them.

7. Capture a least few shiny Pokémon in the type he specializes in.

8. Capture at least some of the Legendary Pokémon he encounters in the movies and anime series in the type he specializes in.

9. Shiny Pokémon are about 5 times stronger than normal Pokémon of their species.

10. All Pokémon must NOT be limited to 4 four moves, but can learn any amount of moves that they are able to learn from their movesets from both the games and anime and retain those moves after learning them. Under no circumstances are the Pokémon's moves to be limited, be it League rules or Gym battles. I've seen it done before and it just makes the battles boring and repetitive. They are to have full access to moves they learn in ALL battles.

11. All moves MUST come from the games, the anime or the movies. Moves from the Pokémon TCG (Trading Card Game) are not allowed.

12. All Pokémon myths and legends must be consistent with that of the anime and movies.

13. Ash must have more of his Pokémon fully evolve.

Ages of characters in first book:

Ash: 13. Clair: 14.

...

==Prologue: The Legendaries Meet==

Hall of Origins...

In a dimension between space and time was a place known only to humans through legends and storybooks. The cradle where all life began... the Hall of Origins. The realm that Arceus, the great God Pokémon and creator of all things, called her home. It was in this great and magnificent Hall where all of the Legendary Pokémon from Kanto to Kalos was gathered.

And at the very front of the Hall, standing before all of her Legendary children, was Arceus herself. As she gazed upon all of her council, Arceus was contemplating many things all at once. After today everything was going to change forever. And not just for the humans and Pokémon on Earth, but for all of the Legendary Pokémon, her included. She was left to wonder if the world was truly ready yet for the one she had chosen...

No. She was done contemplating and wondering. The decision had been made long ago and she was just going to have to have faith that the world truly was ready for the Chosen One.

Arceus was broken from her pondering when Dialga the Lord of Time addressed her. "Mother Arceus," he spoke in a deep voice. "What has caused you to summon us all here like this?"

"Yes, I wonder the same thing, Mother. A meeting like this hasn't been called for in over a thousand years. Since the time of Sir Aaron to be precise," Cresselia the Lunar Pokémon spoke up softly, melodically. Many of the other Legendaries nodded their heads in agreement.

Arceus finally spoke. "My children... the world is changing. Things are not as they were a thousand years ago at the time of Sir Aaron. The land is no longer torn by war and ravaged by death. There are still problems, yes... but the humans have grown in the thousand years that we have remained mostly absent from the affairs of the world. In the time we have been in our self imposed isolation, many of us have all but passed into the myths and legends of humans stories."

"And fine by me, too!" The low, guttural voice of Groudon, the Continent Pokémon, spoke up. "The last thing I remember of humans was them killing each other in droves. I'm glad to be nothing more than a memory in their pathetic minds!"

"I agree with Groudon!" Cobalion spoke up. "They tried on more than one occasion to kill myself and the other Swords of Justice. The humans lost our trust long ago!" Virizion and Terrakion just nodded their heads in agreement.

The youngest of the Swords of Justice, Keldeo, spoke up. "Come on, Cobalion, the humans can't be that bad!"

Cobalion glared at Keldeo. "You have no idea what humans are capable of, Keldeo! You weren't around to see the humans' evil deeds like we did a thousand years ago!"

"Yeah!" Terrakion added. "You aren't even a full Sword of Justice yet, either, so hold your tongue! You were lucky to even be invited to this meeting!"

"Now that's not fair, Terrakion," Virizion intervened. She turned to face Keldeo who seemed dejected at Terrakion's last comment and was hanging his head in shame. "Keldeo, don't listen to Terrakion. You will make a great Sword of Justice someday, I know you will. You just need more practice and time is all. However, both Cobalion and Terrakion are right about the humans. You were not there to see the evil acts they performed so long ago..."

Keldeo raised his head and looked at Virizion. "Thanks Virizion; you're right, I do need to just be patient and keep training, then someday I'll be a great Sword of Justice just like you three!" Keldeo paused for a second before he continued. "And I do apologize... I wasn't around to see what you, Terrakion and Cobalion saw a thousand years ago... forgive me."

Virizion smiled and nodded her head, accepting the young Sword-to-be's apology. Suddenly Rayquaza spoke up. "Mother Arceus, you say the humans are different and have changed? Well, what about those devices called Poké Balls that they put our fellow kind inside of huh?! I have seen the humans capture more of our kind than I can count over the many years I have watched from my post as Guardian of The Skies."

"And what about how the humans force our kind to do battle with each other on their behalf for nothing more than sport!" Palkia, the Lord of Space, shouted.

"Or how about all of the other meaningless acts of servitude that the humans force on our kind..." The Darkness Pokémon Darkrai chimed in with his usual emotionless voice. "Or even the ones who call themselves Pokémon trainers. Many of these so-called "trainers" have spent years pursuing us few Legendaries that have remained active in the world. And for nothing more than to use us and our power in what they call "Pokémon battles". I for one have a particular human that has been pursuing me for years trying to capture me and then use me for his own selfish deeds!" Darkrai continued to rant in its monotonous tone of voice.

"Come now, everyone," Jirachi spoke in his mellow voice. "I believe you are all over reacting about the issues with the humans."

"Easy for you to say!" Thunderus piped in. "You are only awake and around the humans for a week at a time and then you go back to sleep for a thousand years! You have not even seen half of what the humans are capable of, so you have no room to talk!"

"That's right!" Tornadus joined in. "It's easy for many of you to talk. Almost all of you have been in your own states of hibernation or seclusion for the past thousand years while only a few of us have remained awake and active in the world. The few of us that has remained have had a thousand years to see the evil of humanity first hand for ourselves! If it wasn't for Mother Arceus summoning all of us here today in spirit form, then most of you would still be sleeping peacefully or remaining in hiding while the rest of us suffered!"

As soon as this was said, a loud argument broke out amongst all of the Legendaries. Shouting and yelling was the only thing heard in the Hall of Origin until Arceus finally broke her long silence and bellowed in rage. "ENOUGH!" Everyone stopped fighting at once and the Hall grew still. "I am ashamed of all of you! How dare you fight in this most sacred of places! You are each supposed to be the Guardians of not just the other Pokémon, but the world as well. And that includes the humans!"

Arceus took a second to calm herself before continuing on. "Now, I know that the Great War from Sir Aaron's time ruined many of your views on the humans, and yes it was a horrible and dark time. But did you all forget the brave men and women that stood up and defended both people AND Pokémon alike from those evil humans?! Or how about how Sir Aaron gave his life to save the Tree of Beginning?!"

Arceus continued to look at her children sternly as she spoke. ""Humans and Pokémon alike worked together back then to save the world! That is the way it has been ever since the first human and Pokémon met one another. You say that humans control Pokémon and make them do their bidding against the Pokémon's will? Humans and Pokémon live and work alongside each other in harmony, helping each other to achieve their goals and making the world a better place in the process!

Rather it be Trainers and their Pokémon fighting alongside one another to get stronger and bring the best out in each other, or just working together in general to achieve simple goals. Pokémon and people need one another, it's the balance of the world! Yes, there are bad humans, we all know that. And yes, they can be evil and deceitful... but for as many bad humans as there are in the world, there are just as many good humans out there who stand up and fight those who do wrong.

Just like that organization of humans who call themselves Pokémon Rangers. They fight for the good of everyone, people and Pokémon alike." Arceus looked away from the other Legendaries for a second before speaking again.

"When I saved the Earth all of those years ago from a meteor striking Earth and then used some of my own life Aura to create the Jewel of Life in order to restore the land of Michina to it's once beautiful state, I was terribly exhausted and had to return here to the Hall of Origin to rest and recover my strength. Before I did however, I entrusted the Jewel of Life to the leader of Michina, Damos, as a sign of good faith.

However when I came back to retrieve the Jewel of Life some years later, Damos betrayed and nearly killed me and then kept the Jewel for himself. In my still weakened state I was forced to flee and come here. I was angry for many years with not just Damos, but with all of humanity for betraying me. After hundreds of years passed however and the Jewel of Life became lost in time, I had to accept what had happened. It wasn't all of humanity who betrayed me, just one man."

Every single one of the Legendaries was as silent as death while listening to Arceus. Reshiram finally was the first one to speak. "But why did you forgive the humans so easily Mother Arceus? How could you possibly forgive them?"

Arceus merely smiled at her child. "Because my dear, you cannot hold the actions of one human against the millions of others. We all have light and dark inside of us. It's which side we choose to act on that defines who we are. The humans are just as much my children and creations as you and all of the other Pokémon are."

The many other Legendary Pokémon had by this point calmed down and were now taking in what their Creator had just told them. Giratina was the first to speak in his chilling and low voice. "Mother Arceus... you said that the world was changing. What did you mean by that?" The other Legendaries looked at Arceus expectantly. They were curious now as to what she meant by that earlier.

Arceus knew that the time had come for her to divulge everything to her children. She looked off into the distance for a time before beginning her revelation. Arceus took a deep breath. "The time is soon upon us when we will have to make ourselves known to the world again. All of us." Every Legendary Pokémon's eyes widen considerably before any of them spoke.

Zekrom finally came out of his own shock. "What do you mean make ourselves known Mother Arceus? Why and how are we even supposed to awaken? Some of us Legendaries have been trapped in energy containing prisons or locked away in different parts of the world for hundreds of years, preventing us from taking physical form. Reshiram and myself are currently sealed away inside of the Dark and Light stones respectively. How can we be free?"

Arceus answered Zekrom's question directly. "While it is true that ever since the Great War and passing of Sir Aaron most of us have been locked away in isolation, like yourself and Reshiram, or even Groudon and Kyogre... there will be a series of events in the near future that will release you from your prisons."

"How, though, Mother Arceus and when will these events take place?" Little Mew asked in her childlike and innocent voice.

Arceus looked down at her inquisitive daughter who was the Ancestor of all Pokémon and smiled fondly at her before replying back to her question. "These events themselves will start taking place just four years before Jirachi is supposed to wake up again." Jirachi perked up at hearing his name and getting reminded of being able to wake up in just fourteen years, after sleeping for a thousand. "As for how you will become free of your imprisonment... that will be much less desirable." Arceus spoke sadly and also with a hint of anger in her proud and regal voice.

The Legendaries all seemed confused at this statement. Arceus continued on. "In just a few years time, several criminal organizations that will each be fighting for it's own evil agenda's will rise in each region and seek to control your Legendary powers and use them for their own selfish needs."

There was an uproar from many of the indignant and proud Legendary Pokémon who refused to be controlled by anyone, especially humans. "SILENCE!" Arceus shouted loudly. Once the outrage calmed down she spoke again. "You did not let me finish... you see, none of you will face these threats alone. And these evil organizations will not prevail in their diabolical plans. The world will not face these dark times to come alone."

"Does this mean that you will fight to help us and the world when the times call for it, Mother?" Ho-Oh asked, curious.

Arceus shook her head. "No, it will not be me. In fact, I will face my own great challenge that I will need help myself to face." Arceus looked off into the distance for a moment. "You see my children... a human will become our saviour. And not just ours either, but the whole world's saviour. For both people and Pokémon alike."

Many of the Legendaries looked disbelieving. "And who would this human be, Mother Arceus?" The Time Travel Pokémon Celebi asked, perplexed.

Every other Legendary was fixated on what Arceus would say next. She took another deep breath and said the words that made every single Legendary Pokémon in the Hall become as still as stone. "The one mentioned in the oldest Prophecies... the who has been foretold would usher in the dawn of a new age... the one we have waited thousands of years for... The Chosen One."

If there were pins in the Hall of Origins and one fell, then everyone would have heard it hit the ground like a Thunder attack. Did they just hear right? Mother Arceus just told them that the fabled and Legendary Chosen One was going to finally rise... after they had all waited for centuries. It couldn't be so, it just couldn't be. "Mother Arceus... this can't be... can it? Has the time finally come?" Lugia questioned, still in utter shock.

Arceus looked upon all of her council and nodded her head. "Yes my children, it is true. The coming of the Chosen One is nearly upon us... This is actually the real reason why I summoned you all here today."

The rest of the council continued to listen with rapt attention as their Creator continued. "The Chosen One is being born into the world at this very moment in a small human hospital just outside of a small community known as Pallet Town. Hundreds of Pokémon are already gathered at this one location awaiting the child's birth. The world's Pokémon have known of the child since his conception and have eagerly been awaiting his arrival."

"So that is the reason behind the Pokémon's crazy behaviour!" Landorus loudly exclaimed. "All of the Pokémon within the Unova Region have been doing unusually kind things for each other and humans."

"The same can be said for Johto," announced Suicune.

"And Hoenn," continued Rayquaza.

"Sinnoh as well," added Mesprit, Uxie and Azelf all at once.

"The Kalos region Pokémon have been in a strange state, too," Xerneas and Yveltal also proclaimed.

"And don't forget the Kanto region. Because it is the home region of the Chosen One, Pokémon in Kanto have been behaving the most out of character," Mew piped up.

"Yes, the Pokémon of the world have known of his coming. They are very excited because even without the knowledge that we possess, they still sense that the Chosen One's arrival means great and positive change is on the horizon. They have been performing these extreme acts of kindness as a sign of good faith towards the Chosen One," Arceus announced.

"Mother Arceus... what can you tell us of this Chosen One? What is his role and how do we fit into all of this?" Meloetta asked curiously.

Arceus looked thoughtful for a moment and then spoke loudly and clearly. It was almost as though she were reciting from a scroll or tablet, taking pauses every so often as she did so.

"He will be the greatest human with the purest heart to ever walk this Earth. Even more so than Sir Aaron was... He will change opinions and views currently held by many throughout this world and turn them for the better... Many of the opinions that each of you have about humans will also change greatly once you meet and get to know him... He will be a Pokémon trainer with a love for Pokémon some would say is impossible...

His skills as a trainer will be unprecedented and never before seen. Given time he will rise to be the greatest Pokémon Champion of all time... He will also shine in many other aspects of the human and Pokémon world, claiming many titles for himself that others will be amazed one person can attain... Many, many Pokémon will also join him on his quests, several of them being outcasts of their own kind, but also incredibly powerful and very unique.

With enough time and training alongside of the Chosen One, these Pokémon will come to be seen as the most powerful of all of their species... he will come to possess many gifts and abilities that will be bestowed upon him by myself and also many of you. I believe that you will all eventually come to open your hearts to him for the great deeds and kindness he will perform for each of you...

He will become the greatest Aura Guardian there has ever been, even surpassing Sir Aaron himself... As he grows older and meets the woman whom he will fall in love with, he will eventually become a father himself to a new generation of Aura Guardians and other special children...

And the most important of all, he will stand as a beacon of inspiration and hope for all of those who look to him. He will be a symbol of strength and light for all those who live in the shadows... In many ways he will be my human incarnate."

Arceus stopped her long winded explanation of her Chosen One for a few moments and then looked at her assembled Legendary children. "The human beings are a young and foolish race in many ways. But they also carry the potential for great and amazing things. They need someone to guide them on their way to achieving that potential. So that is why I give them my Chosen One. They will struggle and fall behind him... But eventually, they will join him in the sunlight."

As Arceus stopped her speech and gazed upon her children, all was silent. You could tell that many of the Legendaries were going through what they just heard in their heads, trying to process everything. Cresselia broke the silence. "But what are our roles in this matter, Mother? And how do we fit into place with the Chosen One's destiny?"

Arceus knew that this was not going to be accepted well. At all. "Being the Chosen One will mean many things for this child and have many variations... he will for instance, be the Chosen trainer for many Pokémon... We the Legendary Pokémon of this world are going to be no exception."

For a time, every Pokémon in the Hall seemed confused at Arceus' last statement. Until realization suddenly dawned on Kyurem. "You don't mean that..."

Arceus just nodded her head. "Yes Kyurem, eventually we shall all join the Chosen One... As his Pokémon."

Immediately, Groudon yelled loudly. "I will not be forced into one of those little balls and be forced to do what some... HUMAN, commands of me! No matter how special he is!"

Several of the Legendaries began protesting, while others who were not as opposed to the idea of becoming the Chosen One's Pokémon just stayed silent. Arceus became furious and shouted loudly: "QUIET!"

The Hall fell still. "None of you have even met the Chosen One yet and you are already condemning the very idea of becoming his friends and Pokémon. I was referring to ALL of us. Not a select few! Even I shall join the Chosen One eventually."

At hearing that, all of the Legendaries almost passed out. "Mother Arceus! You would become a HUMAN'S Pokémon?!"

Arceus nodded her head. "I would and I am. When the proper time comes and the Chosen One is ready to handle my power then yes... I will join him. He will become my trainer."

No one had anything to say to this. They were all shocked to hear that their Creator, the Creator of EVERYTHING, would allow herself to become the Pokémon of a HUMAN!

Arceus spoke again. "I will give you all the choice though. After the Chosen One risks his life over and over again to save each of you in the future, you can then decide if he is WORTHY enough to be your Trainer. How does that sound?"

None of the Legendaries said a word, showing that they were in agreement with Arceus' proposition. Even though some of them just stubbornly concluded to themselves that no matter what this Chosen One did, he would never be worthy enough to become their trainer. Groudon began to say something about 'never being the Pokémon to a pathetic human' but one look from Arceus shut him up.

"Now." Arceus said authoritatively. "From the time the child is born I will watch over and guide him. When he needs help or a push in the right direction I will be there for him. So if you will all excuse me, the time of his birth is nearly here and I wish to be there to witness it. This council has ended!"

With that, many of the Pokémon began leaving to go back to their bodies on Earth and contemplate everything that had just been revealed to them.


	2. Route 1

**Author's notes**: I have decided upon the first ten Pokémon Ash will capture, two of which will be in this chapter, and a list of the first four will be at the end of the chapter. The rest of the catches will be spaced out. _**This is only the Kanto arc of the story. Each region will have their own thread**_. Currently unbeta-ed, but will be beta-ed by Aiko Isari and the chapter will be re-submitted later.

_**Everyone**_: Here is the new chapter. I hope you enjoy!

**Note**: Before you begin reading, I want to point out some things.

I have Forever United Never We Fall's permission to use scenes from his story (this one especially applies to both Rise of Dragons and Master Quest) and The Straight Elf's permission to use any of his concepts.

**Mega Evolution is permanent, due to a headcanon I decided upon. So you can expect to see Mega Evolved Pokémon come the Indigo League. You can also expect ****irrevocable changes as the Pokémon get used to their new bodies**.

…

==Chapter 1: Route 1==

"I'm late!"

The cry came from thirteen-year-old Ash Ketchum, who had messy black hair and dark brown eyes. As he rushed towards Professor Oak's laboratory, the strength of the wind picked up and blew his bangs into his eyes, causing him to brush them quickly away. He groaned as he witnessed the trainers, who had been set to receive Bulbasaur and Charmander, walk away with smiles on their faces as they threw the Poké Balls into the air and caught them.

Since the front door was still open, Ash entered the building and saw the Professor. "Hi, Professor Oak!" Ash greeted the elderly man.

"Ah, you finally showed up. I honestly thought you would be on time," the researcher responded, looking at Ash.

"Sorry about that, Professor. I accidentally broke my alarm clock," the teen apologized sheepishly.

"At least you're here now. Unfortunately, Bulbasaur, Charmander and Squirtle were taken by Gary and the other two trainers who were here on time," Oak dryly remarked. "As they say: 'the early bird gets the worm'. In this case, the Pokémon."

"Do you have any Pokémon at all?" Ash questioned, his head slowly dropping in defeat.

"I do have one," the Professor spoke again and he snapped his head up, eyes gleaming with hope. Oak pulled a Poké Ball out of his lab coat pocket and held it up for Ash to see. "Go ahead, Ash," he continued, handing the sphere to the raven-haired trainer-to-be. "Open it and say hello to your new Pokémon."

Ash took the red and white capture device from Professor Oak's hand carefully and pressed the enlarge button in the middle, before releasing the Pokémon contained within. In a blinding flash of light, the Pokémon appeared before the pair.

When Ash saw what appeared, he nearly staggered backwards out of shock. The Pokémon was a rare serpentine creature with a blue body and a white underside. It had a white fin on either side of its head and a white bump on its forehead. Above its large, round, white snout are oval-shaped, purple eyes.

"Dra?" The Pokémon cooed curiously.

"D-Dratini?" Ash stammered, still amazed and shocked, as he studied the small Pokémon.

Dratini was one of the most sought after Pokémon in Kanto for their final form, Dragonite. Of course he recognized it from his studies. He really couldn't believe it; he was getting a Dratini as his starter! A very pleased grin stole across his face at the very thought of it.

"That's right, Ash, my boy." The Professor began to explain. "Her mother was a powerful Dragonite, so she might have an Egg move you can keep an eye out for. As you are aware, female Pokémon initiate a special type of bonding with their offspring called 'imprinting'. It's so the first thing the young see when they come out of the egg is their mother.

However, something or someone got between the mother Dragonite's attempt to bond with this Dratini and she took off, abandoning her. One of the Safari Zone Rangers found her and brought her here for me to look after her." Oak concluded the distressing tale with sadness in his tone.

Ash shook his head sadly as he listened to Dratini's story. It shocked him that another Pokémon or human would interfere in a mother's attempt to bond with her baby.

Professor Oak disappeared back into the Lab somewhere and then came back a few minutes later with a parcel in his hands. He handed it to Ash and stepped back. The boy looked at the package in confusion before Professor Oak spoke up. "That is a gift to you, Ash, from your parents and I. Go on and open it up!"

Ash did so and then gasped at what he saw. Inside was a blue wristwatch-looking device with a large square screen on it and several buttons on its sides. Professor Oak answered to the boy's shocked face. "That, Ash, is an Xtransceiver. It is a communication device that allows you to have four way calls with four people at one time. It's all in video feature so you can see the person's face. It also has a built-in GPS so you never get lost, tells you where all of the best routes to travel are and also shows you where all of the towns and cities are in every region, no matter how big or small.

It also shows the location of places like Pokémon Centres, Pokémon Marts, Hotels, Pokémon Gyms and nearby attractions, along with many more. It also has a search feature that you can use to find a particular destination. As long as the establishment in question is registered with the Xtransceiver's satellite mainframe, then you will always be able to find the location you want to head to.

This device is the Unova region's answer to Johto's PokéGear and Hoenn's PokéTech. It is also the most high tech of them all. In fact, it's not even going to be available in Unova itself yet for quite some time. I had to pull a few strings with Unova's leading Pokémon Researcher, Professor Juniper, to get me this. I told her I had a special trainer in the wings who needed one and she managed to get her hands on this one. So don't be surprised when no one knows what this device is."

Ash nodded dumbly at Professor Oak's explanation and began thanking him profusely for it. Professor Oak just waved it off as no big deal and then addressed the boy again. "No need to thank me, dear boy, it was my pleasure. And your mother had a large hand in it as well. Now, come back into the main research area of the Lab with me. I want to give you two more gifts from your parents and Lance Blackthorn himself."

Ash nodded and followed Professor Oak to the main research room of the Lab, located all the way in the very back of the building. Of course, Ash knew this building like the back of his hand since he had been here every day researching the different types of Pokémon with Professor Oak for four years.

As they made their way to the room in question, Ash slipped the Xtransceiver on his left wrist and marvelled at the fit. He slid the sleeve of his jacket down over the device to save anyone's annoying questions of what was on his wrist. They finally made it to the main research room, which basically consisted of a bunch of equipment, tables and chairs, papers everywhere and computer monitors set up all over the place. Professor Oak lead Ash to the biggest computer monitor in the room and stopped in front of it.

"Professor Oak... why are we here?" Ash asked, confused.

The Professor got a smile on his face and began explaining to the boy his reason for bringing him here. "Ash my boy, you have been under my tutelage for four years now and I promised you back then that I would have a word with Lance about a carry limit increase. He approved of the idea as soon as he heard my thoughts. Here's the paperwork," he paused and showed Ash the official form Lance had filled in with the Pokémon League stamp on it. Ash was taken aback by Lance's generosity.

Professor Oak refrained from chuckling. _He wouldn't know that he's part of the Blackthorn clan_. The researcher then gently took the form out of Ash's hands, placed it back on his desk and began quickly typing on his computer. "I'll just finish giving my authorization," he explained to the teen, who seemed to have finally recovered from his shock.

Ash smiled at the Professor. "Thank you, Professor Oak! I really appreciate it."

"I'm not done, Ash." The wizened Professor commented. Ash looked at Professor Oak curiously, waiting for him to explain. The Professor continued. "With that finalized, you now have approval to carry twelve Pokémon." Oak turned to face Ash, moving away from his computer. "What I'm about to give you is your parents' second gift."

The elderly man got up from his chair and went over to a side table where a piece of fabric and a metal case were. He picked them up, walked back to Ash and offered them to him one at a time. The first was a Blackthorn family cape, blue in colour. He put it on, clicking the brooch that kept it around his neck shut. Ash examined his new cape and decided he quite liked it. He turned to the metal case and opened it up, gasping at what was inside.

"It's a set of every evolutionary item, two of all the stones and doubles of everything else too. There's even an Everstone on a cord in there to make it easier for a Pokémon to resist evolution if it wants to," Professor Oak explained. "Your parents worked hard to get all these items."

"This is incredible. I can't thank them enough." Ash's words were genuine; he was truly thankful to his parents and Lance for doing this for him.

While Ash was still in awe over his gifts, Professor Oak went to a nearby tall, glass cabinet and unlocked it. He pulled from the confines of the cabinet a blue and red Pokédex. He came over to the computer and placed the Pokédex into a nearby slot in the system and began furiously typing keys into the computer.

Once he was done, Professor Oak pulled the Pokédex out of the slot and came back to where Ash was standing. He pushed a button on the side of the device and the Pokédex came to life. It slid out and up on its own and the top screen became bright. A robotic, male voice spoke from the Pokédex.

"_My name is Dexter. I was given and registered to Pokémon trainer Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town from Professor Samuel Oak_."

"By the way, Ash. Before I forget, your Pokédex and Xtransceiver are travel resistant, which means that very few things will destroy them. Water and falls from high places are guaranteed not to damage them. I think your mother also said something about your pack being water resistant as well, am I right?"

Ash nodded his head. "Yeah, it is. No moisture can get in here except for what's inside."

Professor Oak stepped up to the duo of Ash and Dratini and spoke up. "Well, Ash, my boy. It seems you are all ready to head out on your journey now."

Ash looked at Professor Oak and nodded his head. "Yeah, Dratini and I better head out now, so we can get a good start on the day."

Professor Oak nodded his head in agreement. "That's a good plan, Ash. Though you still have plenty of time in the day. Make sure you take time to enjoy the sights with your Pokémon and don't just speed through your travels. The slower you go, the more likely you are to see something amazing."

Ash nodded his head to the Professor's words of wisdom and decided that he would do just that. Take his time. He wasn't going to rush through his journey and miss anything! He wanted to witness it all. Besides, he would have to stop plenty so he could train his Pokémon, so why not enjoy the sights too? Professor Oak spoke again, getting Ash's attention. "Before you go, Ash, why don't you get used to using that Pokédex and scan Dratini with it?"

Ash thought it was a great idea and reached into the pouch by his side for his Pokédex. Dratini slithered forward so Ash could scan her better. The Pokédex came to life when Ash pointed it at Dratini and then it slid out and the screen turned bright. An image of Dratini showed up on the screen and the device began to give out the Pokémon's information.

Dratini, the Dragon Pokémon.

Dratini is called the "Mirage Pokémon" because so few have seen it. Its shed skin has been found.

Gender: Female

Nature: Careful

Ability: Shed Skin

Evolution: Dratini-Dragonair-Dragonite

Moves: Wrap, Leer, Thunder Wave, Twister and Dragon Pulse (Egg move).

Ash put his Pokédex away and he turned back to face Professor Oak. "Well Professor, I guess this is it. Thank you so much for everything you taught me and all the great gifts you, my parents and Lance gave me today... I really appreciate it."

Professor Oak smiled at his surrogate grandson. "It was my pleasure, Ash. You earned everything that you received today. You learned so much from me these past four years and I'm very proud of you for showing such determination. I know you are going to do great things. Just remember that when you want to come home, Pallet will always be here and your mother and I will be glad to have you back."

Ash smiled back at the kind old Professor and replied back to him. "Thanks Professor and you got it! I'll call you and mum once I get to Viridian City on my Xtransceiver. It probably won't be for about two weeks, though. Dratini and I, and any Pokémon I catch, are probably going to camp out near the forests of Route 1 for a while and really get to training hard."

Professor Oak nodded his head at that and walked up to Ash and Dratini. "Well, I wish you both the best of luck on your journey! Take care of yourselves."

Ash nodded his head and then they set off for Route 1 and the first leg of their journey.

…

Ash and Dratini had been on Route 1 for half an hour when they heard a loud squawking coming from the north of the wide open field. Ash immediately took off for the sound with Dratini curled carefully on his arm the whole way. The duo followed the sound to a spot in the field that had a few scattered trees dispersed here and there and a few shrubs sticking out of the ground.

In the middle of this clearing was a flock of Spearow, whom Ash assumed had been told to stay back, as their leader – a larger than average Spearow – was attacking a crouching Pokémon who seemed unable to move.

Ash didn't waste a moment. He instantly commanded Dratini, who was already on the ground: "Dratini, use a Thunder Wave to strike all of those Spearow and scare them away!"

The small dragon distributed a weak surge of electricity at the Spearow flock, causing them to cry out in pain as the attack struck them. Those that were able to move once the shock passed, turned tail and fled, but a few remained to face their attacker.

Instantly, the few remaining Spearow dive-bombed Dratini and tried to hit her with their Peck attacks. Ash just calmly instructed Dratini to dodge the attacks. Then Dratini began swerving fluidly out of the way of the angry and attacking Spearow with ease that would only get better as she trained. Once she was clear of the attacks, Ash ordered Dratini to use Thunder Wave and knock the Spearow out of the sky. Dratini launched a rough, widespread electric wave that immediately hit the Bird Pokémon and knocked them out of the air, causing them all to hit the ground with a hard 'crash'.

All of the Spearow were now out of the fight, except for one who remained standing. But it had enough brains to escape while it had the chance, which gave Ash the opportunity to check on the Pokémon they had been ganging up on.

The small Pokémon was still crouching there. Ash bent down next to the Pokémon and was finally able to make out what it was. The identity shocked him, but he knew without a doubt that the Pokémon he was looking at... was a Rufflet. Ash couldn't believe that this Pokémon was actually a Rufflet! They were Pokémon native to Unova and were never seen in Kanto, so for Ash to see one here was definitely puzzling. The raven-haired trainer came to the conclusion that it must have gotten separated from the rest of its flock and the lead Braviary while the flock was migrating.

The Flying type stared at Ash with defiant, prideful eyes. Ash slowly reached his hand out, showing that he meant no harm and touched the side of Rufflet's face comfortingly. The small Pokémon slowly relaxed into Ash's hand. "Rufflet, Ruff," he squawked as Ash continued to stroke the side of his face.

"It's alright little buddy, I won't hurt you. It does seem like you might be hurt a little, though... If you come with me, I can fix you right up. How does that sound?"

Rufflet looked at Ash for a second, before nodding his head. Ash smiled softly and picked the Pokémon up, cradling him in his arms as he made his way to a safer spot.

…

Once Ash made it an appropriate place, he sat Rufflet down near his sleeping bag and went to get his backpack and retrieve the medical supplies his mother packed. Upon returning, Ash sprayed some Potion on Rufflet's cuts and bruises and then gave him an Oran Berry to recover his strength.

After Rufflet seemed to settle down a little, Ash spoke to him. "Hey Rufflet, I just wanted you to know that I was very impressed with the way you stayed strong against those Spearow today. Even though you were outnumbered, you still held your ground valiantly. I can help make you the strongest Rufflet and eventually Braviary that there has ever been, but only if you are willing to work alongside me and Dratini as a team and are ready to train harder than you ever have before. What do you say? Are you in?"

The Bird Pokemon didn't have to think about it and instantly squawked happily. "Let Ruff Rufflet!"

Ash grinned. "Alright! We start training tomorrow, so be ready Rufflet!"

The Pokémon nodded his head. Ash decided to take this time and scan Rufflet with the Pokédex so he could get some more information on his new Pokémon. He scanned Rufflet and listened to what Dexter had to say:

Rufflet, the Eaglet Pokémon.

Rufflet will challenge anything, even strong opponents, without fear. Their frequent fights help them become stronger.

Gender: Male

Nature: Brave

Ability: Sheer Force

Evolution: Rufflet-Braviary

Moves: Peck, Leer, Fury Attack and Wing Attack.

Ash was impressed with Rufflet's moves, nature and ability. In time, he could become a very strong Pokémon given the right training. Of course, that would be no problem.

…

Ash smiled an hour later and leaned against a large rock as he cast the compactable fishing rod, which had been put into his backpack by his mother, into the river. It was nice to relax.

Minutes later, he yanked whatever was biting on his lure out of the water. Whatever it was had to be extremely light – he hardly had the strength to lift a Seaking or Staryu out of the water – but it put up an incredible fight.

Dratini and Rufflet were both waiting for whatever formidable foe Ash pulled out of the water. While he hadn't exactly been expecting to pull up a Gyarados or Psyduck, he hadn't been expecting the small brown aquatic Pokémon, resembling a marine animal similar to a seahorse, fiercely remaining attached to his lure to have put up such a strong fight.

Ash knew this Pokémon was called Skrelp and they were part of a larger school of others of their own kind and fiercely protective Dragalge. He remembered reading about a particularly bad storm the Kalos oceans experienced four years ago that swept a lot of aquatic Pokémon away from Kalos and into the oceans and waterways around Kanto.

The Skrelp was small, but had proved that it had enough fight to earn a place on any newbie's team. It looked strangely angry for its breed and glared at Ash and his Pokémon for a moment, before it let go of the lure and landed on the ground, although it spit a glob of ink at them as it fell.

Rufflet easily fluttered out of the way and Dratini clearly wasn't the target. Ash, however, got a face full of ink that left him gagging and sputtering in an attempt to get the foul smelling and tasting liquid out of his mouth.

He was blind and useless to his Pokémon while the horrible ink was covering himself, so he quickly set to wiping as much of it off. Soon enough Ash was able to see, but he knew that his face was stained with ink and would probably be completely black for a few days. But his problems didn't matter. The fight his Pokémon were in did.

Ash still couldn't talk – he was still spitting up ink and trying to remove that awful taste from his mouth, although he hadn't thrown up…yet – but he was capable of priming a Poké Ball and was more than ready to hit the Skrelp with it if his Pokémon went too far. The trainer knew that his Pokémon would have taken offence to the attack upon him and might endanger the Skrelp if not stopped fast enough.

As he watched the battle, he was pleasantly surprised with his friends' composure. They were fighting hard against the fierce Skrelp, but were reigning themselves in to avoid causing real danger to it. Ash was proud that they had such good self control.

The battle was incredibly short. Despite the Skrelp's insane method of fighting – it was firing powerful jets of water at his Pokémon incredibly quickly and seemed to have no defence other than a great offense – his Pokémon were hardly even disturbed by its attacks.

Rufflet was dodging them as fast as he could, only getting hit by two or three, and seemed to be toying with the Water type. Dratini was spending more time evading the attacks than really fighting. When Dratini finally became serious and recklessly charged the Skrelp, the Skrelp pulled the same trick as before. Ash had to hold in a laugh as Dratini was sent reeling from a blast of sticky, reeking ink, but felt more than a few twinges of sympathy for his starter.

Dratini backed off and attempted to wipe her face off on the grass. Ash decided to end this and catch the Skrelp once Rufflet had weakened it.

"Peck," he commanded, ignoring the thick feeling of ink on his tongue and the strong urge to gag. Not even spitting had removed it. Rufflet cried out in acceptance and flew forward, landing a strong hit on the weak Skrelp.

Ash was impressed that it managed to stay strong, although he knew it would only take one more attack to knock it unconscious. The Skrelp had almost no endurance and had to be tired from the struggle it had put up in order to keep from being pulled up with the lure.

"Wing Attack."

Rufflet flew down and slammed into the Skrelp with brightly glowing wings. The force of his blow was more than enough to weaken the small creature and he was no worse for wear when he flew over to Ash and landed on his shoulder.

He smiled and stroked his feathers. "You did well, Rufflet," Ash praised. "But make sure Skrelp doesn't escape, please. I've got to clean Dratini."

Rufflet nodded and fluttered over to Skrelp. Ash felt a bit of sympathy for the poor Water type when he saw Rufflet delicately put his sharp talons onto its back. If it were stronger, it would probably be angry.

Now that he didn't have to worry about the insane Skrelp spitting ink at him, he turned back to Dratini. His starter looked pathetic trying to rub her face against the grass and nearby rocks, succeeding only in smearing the ink further. "Dratini," Ash called out. The small dragon slowly slithered over to Ash, moaning sadly. "I know, don't worry. I'll try to get it off."

Ash picked up the towel he had brought in order to dry himself off and carefully began to wipe the ink off of Dratini's body. Most of it was concentrated on her face.

His job was far less than perfect. Dratini still had black smeared all over her body, but Ash figured that a quick dunk in the water would get most of it off. Maybe Dratini would be more amenable to it if Ash joined her. He wasn't looking forward to meeting anyone with a face covered with ink.

"Oh well." Ash muttered as he pulled the permanently stained towel off of Dratini's head. He could still use it, at least. "Dratini, no hard feelings towards our new friend, alright?"

Dratini let out an unhappy noise at the mention of the Skrelp, but didn't do anything. Ash took that as acceptance.

"Alright, Rufflet, you can get off of it now."

Rufflet glared at the Skrelp and launched himself into the air, before eventually settling in one of the trees. Ash threw the primed Poké Ball at the weakened Skrelp. It sucked the Skrelp in, before rocking a few times. Ash grinned when he saw it click and staggered over to collect the newest member of his team.

Ash would have to make sure he released Skrelp in a position where it couldn't see Rufflet. Dratini lay beside his foot. Ash crouched down, stroking her smooth body, before releasing the Skrelp. Maybe it wouldn't be so violent if it didn't see him as such a large being.

Skrelp was flopping about when it was released, so Ash took the opportunity to scan it with the Pokédex.

Skrelp, the Mock Kelp Pokémon.

Skrelp looks just like rotten kelp. It hides from foes while storing up power for its evolution.

Gender: Male

Nature: Adamant

Ability: Poison Point

Evolution: Skrelp-Dragalge

Moves: Tackle, Smokescreen, Water Gun, Faint Attack, Tail Whip and Bubble.

Ash nodded slowly. Skrelp would definitely be a good team-mate. He would be able to cover quite a few weaknesses. But right now, he needed to make friends with him.

He didn't expect the Skrelp to blast him in the face with a weak Water Gun the second he had the chance. Ash hissed in pain as the force of the attack knocked him onto his back. The trainer wearily pushed himself up and realized that Dratini was about to attack Skrelp.

"Stop, Dratini," he requested calmly. His starter glanced at him and slithered back. Ash wasn't foolish enough to think that the dragon wasn't more than ready to fry their newest team-mate with Thunder Wave, however. Dratini was quite protective, after all.

Ash turned back to Skrelp, who was warily staring at him. At least he wasn't attacking. That could have caused a problem. "Please listen to me," he explained soothingly. Skrelp still didn't attack, which Ash took as a good sign. "I've captured you. That means that I'm your trainer and that they," he motioned to Dratini and Rufflet, although Skrelp didn't look back at the small bird, "are your team-mates. I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to help you get stronger."

Skrelp perked up at the last sentence. Ash grinned. It looked like he'd found what Skrelp wanted out of their relationship. "I'm wanting to be the best trainer and I think that you can help me toward that goal. Do you think you can keep up?" He asked slowly. Skrelp eagerly nodded, the determined spark lighting up in his eyes. "Good. So are you going to stop attacking us?"

A somewhat less eager nod. Ash grinned. "Well then, Skrelp, welcome to the team." Suddenly, a thought sprung to his mind. Would any of his Pokémon want nicknames? When he voiced the thought to his partners, they nodded and he decided he would give them nicknames when he got to Viridian City.

…

**Author's notes**: So Rufflet and Skrelp join Ash and Dratini. Ash will not be, under any circumstances, catching a Pikachu in this story. I want everyone to understand I am _not_ a Pikachu hater, but the cute little electric mouse will not be accompanying Ash in this universe.

The reason for Rufflet was that I had Ash catch one in the original version of Rise of Dragons and I wanted that to remain the same. As for Skrelp, one particular reviewer from the original version (forgive me, I can't remember your username) suggested I have Ash catch the Kalos Poison/Water creature as it evolves into the Poison/Dragon Dragalge. So I kept that the same as well.

As promised, here is a list of Ash's first four Pokémon.

Rufflet

Skrelp

Tyrunt

Horsea

…

**Ash's Pokémon team**

Dratini

Level: 11

Moveset: Wrap, Leer, Thunder Wave, Twister and Dragon Pulse* (Please note: moves with this * symbol next to them are all hereditary)

Rufflet

Level: 10

Moveset: Peck, Leer, Fury Attack and Wing Attack

Skrelp

Level: 12

Moveset: Tackle, Smokescreen, Water Gun, Faint Attack, Tail Whip and Bubble


End file.
